Newcastle Council says it will expedite a soon to be lodged Development Application (DA) in the city’s East End after a number of anti-social incidents on site.
Iris Capital is set to lodge the plans for the third stage of the East End Development, which would see the demolition of the former food court and retail space bound by Hunter, Newcomen, King and Laing Streets.
The DA for demolition of the buildings will be expedited following concerns about the current state of the buildings and antisocial behaviour from members of the public and local business owners.
Police are aware of reports of antisocial behaviour in and around the buildings.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Council is committed to the long-term revitalisation of Hunter Street and this is another step towards improving the Mall area as an attractive destination for locals and visitors.
“Delivering the long overdue transformation in the Hunter Street Mall has been a vital project for City renewal. The initial stages highlight the overall vision for the future completed revitalisation of the heritage precinct. The next stage of public domain works are planned and ready to deliver.
“Through close collaboration with NSW Police and Iris Capital we identified that we have some public safety concerns in the final stages of the heritage revitalisation, so action is progressing on the demolition of the non-heritage buildings so the site can be adequately contained,” Cr Nelmes said.
Iris Capital Development Manager Jamie Boswell said this site completes Iris Capital’s contribution to the East End Village and the demolition is an important step towards future development.
“This site provides another opportunity for revitalisation and for Iris Capital to contribute further to the transformation of the Hunter Street Mall and along with City of Newcastle we are committed to public safety and the best outcome for the community is to progress with the demolition of the existing structure as quickly as possible,” Mr Boswell said.